# Star Realms vs Tabletop Gaming

The clearest difference is update cadence: Star Realms at every 10 days against Tabletop Gaming's every 5 months. Star Realms also leads on ratings volume (4.5K vs 29). Tabletop Gaming's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Realms sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Tabletop Gaming sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Star Realms against 4.6 for Tabletop Gaming. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Realms has 4.5K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 54% of Tabletop Gaming's.

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, Tabletop Gaming every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Realms | Tabletop Gaming |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews) | **[4.6 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabletop-gaming/id1002413481/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | **57.0% of reviews** | 53.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 509 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) | [Warners Group Publications PLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/586192010) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Realms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125)

Engage in thrilling space combat with this popular deckbuilding game. Build your deck, outmaneuver opponents, and conquer the galaxy. Offers both single-player campaigns and multiplayer battles.

**Highlights:** Deckbuilding gameplay, Player vs Player combat, AI battles, Campaign mode, Online multiplayer, Pass and Play mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Events Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Heroes Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Fleets and Fortresses | $1.99 | one-time |
| Command | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gambit Set | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmic Gambit | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Colony Wars | $4.99 | one-time |
| Frontiers | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Excellent implementation
- 💡 Lots of content and features
- 🚀 Fast and smooth gameplay
- 👍 Challenging AI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with online play and connectivity
- 🐛 Unbalanced AI difficulty
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🐛 Confusing UI and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes on launch
- Online games getting stuck or timing out
- Inability to scrap or play certain cards
- Incorrect card behavior and interactions

**Requested features**

- Add undo/rewind functionality
- Improve offline/single-player experience
- Implement better matchmaking and player communication
- Provide more detailed game statistics and analytics


### Tabletop Gaming

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabletop-gaming/id1002413481)

This app delivers a monthly digital magazine focused on board games, card games, RPGs, and wargames. It features news, reviews, interviews, and guides, with exclusive digital content and a mobile-optimized reading experience.

**Highlights:** Monthly magazine content, News and reviews, Interviews with designers, Miniatures painting guide, Mobile-optimized reading, Night reading mode, Adjustable text size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tabletop Gaming Auto Renewable Subscription | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Tabletop Gaming Auto Renewable Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Issue One (id:799153) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Two (id:799150) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Three (id:799151) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Four (id:799152) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Five (id:799677) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Six (id:799681) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Issue Seven – D... (id:799685) | $6.99 | one-time |
| June 2018 (#19) (id:801344) | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Realms free?

Star Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Tabletop Gaming free?

Tabletop Gaming is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Star Realms or Tabletop Gaming?

Tabletop Gaming is rated higher. Star Realms averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Tabletop Gaming averages 4.6 from 29 ratings.

### Do Star Realms or Tabletop Gaming have ads?

Neither Star Realms nor Tabletop Gaming shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Tabletop Gaming?

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, and Tabletop Gaming every 5 months. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on November 4, 2026 and Tabletop Gaming on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*